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STUDIES IN 
MODERN PLAYS 



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STUDIES IN MODERN PLAYS 



A STUDY OUTLINE 



. EfAf 



-n^. UfAl DAVIDSON, M.A. 



THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY 

WHITE PLAINS, N. Y., and NEW YORK CITY 

1915 



3 



> 



Copyright, 1915 
By H. a. DAVIDSON. M.A. 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



)CI.A414285 



OCT 14 1915 



CONTENTS AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTES 

Methods of Study 5 

Justice, by John Galsworthy 7 

Galsworthy's plays are remarkable because they deal with 
moral and social questions on which the public conscience is 
keenly alive but opinion divided. This play has been the subject 
o£ many sermons and discussions and invites consideration of 
the object society should have in view in the restraint of 
criminals. 

Milestones, by Arnold Bennett and Edward Knob- 
lauch , 8 

The purpose of "Milestones" is to give dramatic expression 
to the changes that take place in the passing of a single genera- 
tion. Great changes in industry and in society are shown in their 
effect upon individuals who pass from the eager enthusiasm and 
loves of youth to the conservatism of age which sees golden days 
only in the past. Alost skilfully has the dramatist mingled with 
the typical transitions from youth to age the great social changes 
which have marked the period from i860 to 1912. Dramatically, 
the play is difficult to present through the great intervals of 
time supposed to elapse between the acts ; still, the transitions 
wrought by time, the repetition of old situations with new actors, 
as children, then grandchildren, appear in the role of young 
lovers, gives a certain unity to the play, while the close parallel 
with the lives of us all arouses deep interest. 

Chitra, and Tpie Princess, by Rabindranath Tagore 11 

The award of the Nobel prize to the Poet of India has drawn 
universal attention to his works. "Chitra" is one of the most 
beautiful of his narrative poems and its theme, the relation of 
woman to the life of the world, and to the individual man, her 
lover, invites comparison with Tennyson's "The Princess," writ- 
ten a full generation earlier. Each poem presents the question 
of the higher education and position of woman in the spirit of 
the age in which it was written. "The Princess" is a prophecy, 
proclaiming timidly hopes unfulfilled; "Chitra" comes after a 
generation of experiment and fulfilment. 

The Great Divide, by William Vaughn Moody. . . 17 

"The Great Divide" had, for a time, great success on the 
stage. It set forth, in verisimilitude, the conditions of life in 
the great Southwest and presented, besides, a strong contrast 
between conventional traditional morality and that righteousness 
of the heart and life which is wrought out in an honest effort 
to redeem the errors of past years. 



The Faith Healer, by William Vaughn Moody.. i8 
"The Faith Healer" failed completely on the stage. The 
issues in it are too fine, too spiritual to become a visible dramatic 
reality, but as a reading play "The Faith Healer" is far superior 
to "the Great Divide," and in the study outline here given an 
attempt is made to guide readers to an interpretation of its 
allegorical and spiritual meaning. 

Marlowe, by Josephine Preston Peabody 22 

This play, written by an alumna of Radcliffe college and acted 
at the opening of the' Elizabeth Agassiz hall in Cambridge is 
considered by critics the best interpretation of the character ot 
the poet Marlowe to be found. The plot is sHght; the interest 
centers in the man and in a most remarkable and lively pre- 
sentation of the manners and life of the age. 

The Piper, by Josephine Preston Peabody 26 

This play, entered without a name in the competition for the 
award of honor at Stratford-on-Avon, won the prize over many 
others. It was acted under the supervision of the author, first 
in the Shakespeare Memorial Theater, Stratford, later in New 
York City. The charm of the play lies in its delicate poetic 
quality, in a hidden meaning within an old legend, and in the 
faithful presentation in setting, atmosphere, etc., of the super- 
stitious age in which mystery plays were a familiar entertainment. 

The Blue Bird, by Maurice Maeterlinck 29 

This play is too familiar to require description. ^ It has had 
the wonderful fortune of becoming popular as a fairy play for 
children and at the same time of holding the attention of older 
theater-goers through a tender and well-sustained allegory. The 
means used and the purpose of the author in each part are well 
worthy of careful attention. 

Herod, by Stephen Phillips 32 

This play has been acted with great success in America by 
an English dramatic company. It is remarkable for dramatic 
unity, power, and a lively suggestion of the fierce passions of 
the age in which its scenes are laid. 

The Fire Bringer, by William Vaughn Moody. . 36 
This play represents well the epic-dramatic poem in which the 
author first achieved success. It is given here both for the 
intrinsic interest of subject and poem and because readers who 
study only "The Great Divide" and "The Faith Healer" will 
have a ver>' incomplete and one-sided impression of this author. 

Reference Lists 39 

Reference List for Special Plays or Topics... 42 



STUDIES IN 
MODERN PLAYS 

METHOD OF STUDY 



Essential Conditions. — The essential conditions of 
interest and success in the use of this Study OutHne are, 
first, the ownership of the books to be read with care; 
secondly, the common reading by all of the assigned play 
preliminary to the meeting ; thirdly, common study 
and preparation of the Study Outline questions and 
topics for discussion. This will furnish the basis for an 
expression of individual opinion of value because original 
and formed through personal consideration of the topics 
presented. 

Written Papers. — Written papers should not be as- 
signed on the main topics for study which constitute the 
lesson for all, but only, if at all, on side topics of value 
for illustration or information in relation to the main 
study. 

Number of Plays. — Since the number of meetings in 
the year and the leisure for reading or study vary in 
different clubs, a greater number of plays are arranged 
for in this Study Outline than most clubs will care to 
include in a year's program. This makes it possible to 
select the plays preferred by a majority of the members 
and to omit others. 

Study Topics. — It is important that each member of 
the club in her study in preparation should consider the 
full series of study topics, but in the meeting it is most 
important to give time to those on which differences of 
opinion arise. These may be selected in advance and 
marked in the outline ; or, better, a skilful leader may 
select and develop these topics in the course of the meet- 
ing as the desire of individuals becomes apparent. The 



meeting is not a recitation, but a place in which to com- 
plete and add to private work previously done. 

Duties of the Leader of Discussion. — When the hour 
for "Discussion of Study Outline Topics" arrives, 
the president, or preferably, a chosen leader of discus- 
sion, should act as leader, put questions, call for opin- 
ions, etc., but should reserve her own opinion until after 
a full discussion, pro and con, by all members who 
wish to present briefly their views. The leader of dis- 
cussion for the day should make full and careful prep- 
aration on all questions and topics assigned, as all others 
are expected to do, but it is important that she should not 
consider her position one of instruction ; she must not 
yield to the temptation to give information, and answer 
questions instead of skilfully calling forth the views and 
the knowledge of others. If, on rare occasions, a major- 
ity of members present have failed to make preparation, 
it is often wise either to defer the lesson until the next 
meeting, or to turn the hour for discussion frankly into a 
study hour in which, books in hand, all work together. 
Each member of the club should come to the meeting, 
text and note-book in hand, with notes, references, out- 
lines, ready for use in the discussion. 

A wise leader seeks to call out free expression on both 
sides of the question ; but a long discussion should, some- 
times, be summarized briefly, pro and con. An important 
and delicate function of the leader of discussion is the 
repression of the too ready or enthusiastic talker, and the 
closing of the discussion promptly and firmly when it 
wanders from the point at issue. Discussion should be 
well distributed among all the members of the club, and 
a fair hearing should be given to dissenting opinions. 
Differences of opinion must occur and, indeed, are the 
best evidence of thoughtful reading; discussions arising 
from points of view honestly different, are, often, very 
profitable, since those who speak will be ready to fortify 
argument with evidence, and will be driven from con- 
clusions already formed only bv evidence or argument 
more convincing than their own. The formation of an 
opinion honestly from the text and references is of fai 
greater value to the mind than the giving of "correct 
answers." 

H. A. D. 



JUSTICE 
John Galsworthy 

1. Preliminary. Read the play "J^-^stice," carefully 

once or twice. 

2. Do the mitig-ating circumstances which accompan- 

ied this act of forgery cause you to believe that 
Falder's act should have been condoned by the 
proprietor and he given another chance? What 
would you have done ? 

Note. It is well to state a parallel case, in 
order to test yourself practically : Imagine Falder 
to be either a maid servant or a chauffeur who 
has been in your employ for several years ; what 
would you decide in a similar case? 

3. State the point of view of James Howe, as you 

understand the man ; make out as reasonable and 
favorable a position for him as you can. 

4. State as strongly as possible the basis on which 

Falder's case might claim leniency. 

5. Summarize the trial : 

(a) Arguments of prosecution; which is most 

effective ? 

(b) Which is of the greatest strength from the 

human point of view ? 

(c) Which looks toward the welfare of the 

prisoner? 

(d) Which looks toward the welfare of society? 

(e) Arguments of the defense; on what did the 

defense rest a plea for leniency? What 
is the legal strength or weakness of this 
argument ? 
(/) What was the position of the judge in rela- 
tion to the arguments? In relation to 
the prisoner? 

6. Where is the climax of this play? Why? 

7. What is the purpose of the representation of life in 

the prison? 



8. What is the effect of this life on William Falder? 

9. When he is dismissed, practically, wherein lies hope 

of re-establishment for him in character, in 
opportunity, in love, or friendship? Show in 
each, how the years in prison have affected the 
man or his situation. 

10. From the point of view of society, is William Falder 

improved, or the contrary? Argue the point. 

11. In the case of Ruth Honeywell, show the result in 

her life (a) of Falder's imprisonment; (b) of 
the aid and advice offered her while Falder was 
in prison. 

12. Show the result of Falder's release, and of her meet- 

ing him again. Probable result of his death on 
her life. 

13. Do you consider individuals, or society as a whole, 

or the institutions of justice, most responsible for 
Falder's fate? 

14. Should Falder have been treated from the point of 

view of the proprietor, or of the community, or 
as an individual pathological case? 



II 

MILESTONES 
Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblauch 

1. What characteristics of the times really determined 

the choice of dates for the three acts of 
"Milestones''? 

Act I. i860 

2. Stage setting. Consider the furnishings and clothes 

described, carefully, and point out what, in the 
setting of Act I, reveals the date of the play. 

8 



3- Contrast the older generation in Act I with the 
younger generation in the same act in regard to 

(a) Superficial appearance; that is, clothes, 

manners, relations to their elders, topics 
of conversation, amusements, etc. 

(b) In regard to ambitions, point of view, plans. 

Do you attribute differences to the grow- 
ing old of the elders, or to changes in 
prevalent conditions of life, habits of 
thought, etc., in the world in which these 
people live? 

4. What life issues are determined in Act I? Person 

by person, show what the issue is, how import- 
ant, or how far-reaching the decision, and the 
determining reason. 

5. Sum up, or state briefly, the characteristics, point 

of view, and ideals of life in i860, as shown in 
Act I. 



Act 11. 1885 



6. Describe each person reappearing in Act II, as he 

or she impressed you at the close of Act I, then 
point out changes since. Note whether these are 
due to conditions and events, or to changes in the 
person, and explain. 

7. Compare the young people of Act II with those of 

Act I, pairing for the contrast each one with the 
one in Act I whose age, condition, etc., is nearest 
parallel, then make a careful outline both of 
similarities and differences, under these general 
headings : 

(a) The appearance, interest, outlook on life of 

the individual. 

(b) The relation of each to his elders, and the 

plans and ambitions of each ; note espe- 
cially the influence of the elders in guid- 
ing or determining these plans and 
ambitions. 



8. Define the real issues up for decision in Act II, and 

show their importance. Show what is the deter- 
mining factor in each decision made. 

9. What new element, or influence, appears in Act 11? 

Are the causes determining decisions in Act II 
vitally different in any respect from those work- 
ing in Act I? 

10. Compare the elders of x\ct II with the elders of Act 

I, and, if you find dififerences, discuss the causes 
of these. 

11. Sum up briefly the characteristics of the age, define 

the point of view and the ideals of life in 1885. 
Discuss the changes in these since i860, the 
tendency of the movement, the dangers and the 
possibilities in it. 



Ill 

MILLSTONES (Continued) 
Act III. IQ12 

12. Describe each person reappearing in Act III from 

previous acts, referring to your undestanding of 
the characters and the opinions at- the close of 
Act II. Then point out the changes in each, and 
discuss, according to suggestions under previous 
topics, whether these changes are due to condi- 
tions and events, or to some process or habit of 
thought going on within the person, and explain, 
with citations in support of your opinion. 

13. Compare the young people of Act III with those of 

previous acts (as before); make a careful out- 
line of similarities and differences and discuss 
causes tending to perpetuate similarities or work- 
ing to change them. 

14. In the above comparisons do you find any tenden- 

cies working through the series? If you do, dis- 
cuss and explain these. 

TO 



15- Why is Act III less vital and strong in the interest 
than Act II? 

i6. On what did the author depend for unity in a play 
in which the relations of the dramatis personae 
change in each act? 

17. Name for each act the task or purpose the dramatist 

intended to accomplish in it. 

18. Define carefully the theme of "Milestones." 

19. What is the chief difficulty in presenting this play 

on the stage? 

20. In the presentation on the stage, in what must the 

chief source of .interest be found ? 

21. In what lies the relation of the scenes of this play 

to the individual spectator, or reader? 

22. To what has the popular success of "Milestones" in 

the United States been due? 

23. Do you think "Milestones" a play likely to outlive 

the generation in which it was written? Give 
reasons for your opinion with consideration of 
the qualities that give permanence. 

24. Has this play the elements of dramatic form, dram- 

atic plot, hero, heroine, climax, etc. Above all 
has it unity of interest, or of action, or of theme ? 



IV 

CHITRA, AND THE PRINCESS 

Rabindranath Tagore 

i. the poet 

1. Describe the personality of Tagore and show pic- 

tures. 

2. What can you learn about the character and influence 

of his father? 

3. How and where was Rabindranath educated? 

II 



4- What is his own position in India ? His occupation ?^ 

5. Where, in caste, does he stand: (a) in practice; 

(b) in belief and influence? 

6. Do you find that his mind is influenced chiefly by 

Western or by Oriental ideas? 

7. In what book, or books, may be found his interpre- 

tation of the beliefs and philosophy of India? 

8. What writings won for him the Nobel prize? 

9. On what ground, if at all, was this honor deserved? 

(See Reference list, page 42.) 

11. THE POEM AS DRAMATIC ACTION. 

10. Preliminary. Read the entire poem before studying 

the topics. 

Scene i 

11. Chitra appears. Describe the character, education, 

secret desires, and personality of Chitra as she 
appears in this first scene. 

12. The adventure narrated. How is this explained by 

herself? How is it understood by Madana? 

13. Why did Chitra ask for personal beauty? Why 

was the prayer granted? 

Scene 2 

14. Arjuna, solus. What had been the effect of the 

first sight of Chitra's beauty on him? Three 
possible explanations of the author's purpose 
suggest themselves in accounting for this effect ; 
what are they? Which do you choose? Why? 

15. Enter Chitra. What essential difference between 

this Chitra and the Chitra previously seen in the 
forest temple of Shiva? Between her conduct 
then and now? 

^ The description of the peculiar school founded by him should be 
studied in this connection. See New York Independent, August 3, 1914- 

12 



i6. Are Chitra's last words in this scene an instance of 
woman's craft, or are they a sincere expression 
of feehng? 

Scene j 

17. Interpret the meaning of Madana's words after the 

close of Chitra's narrative? 

18. How did the poet intend to characterize the impulse 

that led Arjima to break his vow, as described in 
Chitra's story, scene 2, and Chitra to invite the 
act? 

19. Why was Chitra thereafter dissatisfied? 

20. Explain Vasanta's counsel. 



Scene 4 

21. In scene 4, there seems to be a double meaning in 
the speech of each ; explain it throughout the 
conversation. 



Scene 5 

22. What is the meaning in this brief scene? What is 
the purpose in the play, of its introduction here? 



V 

CHITRA AND THE PRINCESS (Continued) 
Scene 6 

23. What is the real meaning of the last two lines of 

Arjuna's first speech? 

24. Compare Geraint's idleness when cherishing Enid. 

See Geraint and Enid, in ''Idylls of the King." 

13 



25- What caused Arjuna's thought to return, at this 
time, to old days ? 

26. Explain Chitra's answer. Did Arjuna understand 

her words? 

27. In this scene, did Arjuna wish to escape Chitra, as 

a hero tired of his mistress, or to draw her into 
closer honds? Show your reasons for the opin- 
ion you give. 

28. Can you explain Chitra's prayer here? Did she 

consider the boon essential to success? Did it 
prove so? 

29. Trace the- steps of the revelation intended by Chitra? 

30. Why was Arjuna misled to a false conclusion? 

31. Contrast the Chitra of scene 9 with Chitra in scene 

8 ; explain the change. Did she now hope to win 
Arjuna or expect to lose him? 

32. Wherein lies the dramatic climax of this simple 

action ? Wherein the conclusion ? 

33. What is lacking for the complete satisfaction of 

English or American readers? 

34. This play has been produced on the stage by ama- 

teurs, but not with success. Wherein lies the 
difficulty of reproducing the atmosphere and 
effect intended by Tagore? 



VI 
CH'ITRA AND THE PRINCESS (Continued) 

III. CHITRA AS A SYMBOLIC POEM 

35. There are at least two points of view to be con- 
sidered in the interpretation of the hidden mean- 
ing of this poem. Brietlv, these are : 
(a) Is the suggestion that of the typical phases 
and transitions of woman's life, from the 
blossoming of the maid into womanhood, 
and on to the companionship of mature 
years ? 

14 



(b) Or, is the poem, like Ibsen's "The Doll's 
House," intended to set forth in the per- 
son of a single woman the transformation 
now taking place in women, in their lives, 
their characters, occupations, duties, rela- 
tions with men? 

36. If (a) is your opinion, trace the meaning hidden 
within this beautiful poem in detail showing the 
significance of each transition and its subtle rela- 
tion to the lives of men and women typically 
revealed. 

S7- Or, if (b) is your opinion, show step by step the 
unfolded parallel and also discuss the question 
whether Tagore of India, the land of Oriental 
mysticism, may be supposed to have hidden this 
most mo'dern interpretation of woman in the 
heart of his poem. 

IV. BRIEF CRITICAL COMPARISON OF TENNYSON'S ""tHE 

princess" and tagore's "chitra" 

"The Princess," published in 1847 h^s been called 
"the wind before the dawn" ; "Chitra," published in 
1914 in the twentieth century, is the latest word on the 
same subject. 

38. Preliminary: What changes, historically, have 

taken place in the position and lives of women 
since 1847? Discuss this question briefly under 
the headings : Education ; Occupations ; Relation 
of woman to the community ; Relation to her own 
household ; Relation to man personally. 

39. What further changes, not yet accomplished, are 

now indicated? 

40. The following passages in "The Princess" are indi- 

cated for careful consideration; they especially 
express Tennyson's ideas and ideals in regard to 
women. Henry Van Dyke, in "The Poetry of 
Tennyson," page 112, discusses briefly 'The 
Princess" and these ideals, 
(a) Lady Psyche's prophecy, "At last she rose 

upon a wind of prophecy." Part 11, 

1. 153- 



(b) The Princess Ida's own words, "To lift a 

woman's fallen divinity on a pedestal 
with man." Part III, 1. 206-. 

(c) The Prince's words, "Henceforth, thou hast 

a helper, me that know the woman's 
cause is man's." Part VII, 1. 242-. 

41. What were the reasons, in 1847, for introducing 

with emphasis the conservative point of view, 
and characters holding it with strength and 
prejudice? 

42. In "The Princess," by what means was the old 

position abandoned? 

43. In "Chitra," why is the old conservative view of 

woman, her duties, her dependence, etc., not 
presented in the poem? 

44. On what does the change in her position turn in 

Tennyson's poem? On what in "Chitra"? 

45. In "The Princess," what suggestion do you find of 

early prophecies of the effect on women of 
higher education and culture? 

46. In "Chitra," what losses in the life of woman, in the 

new day, do you find suggested? What compen- 
sations for these? 

47. What indubitable reason is brought forward which 

must forever prevent woman from turning back 
to the shelter, or ease, or dependence, of an older 
time? 

48. Also, ask, from the point of view^ of (b), what three 

steps in this transformation are represented in 
the conclusions presented respectively in Tenny- 
son's "The Princess" ; in Ibsen's "The Doll's 
House"; in Tagore's "Chitra"? 
These studies are confined to a consideration of struc- 
ture and essential purpose in these poems. There is 
abundant material in each for the studv of rare poetic 
qualities, beauty of diction, rhythm, setting, suggestion, 
song, etc. 



16 



VII 

THE GREAT DIVIDE 

William Vaughn Moody 

Act I 

1. At the time when Ghent makes his appeal to Ruth 

to give him a "fair chance," is the misunder- 
standing of the situation by each an essential 
part of the play? 

2. In Ruth's character, in Act I, what evidence of the 

influence of New England's traditions and con- 
ventions do you find? 

3. Trace, in Act I, all points of contrast, both in setting 

and in human nature, on which the author depends 
for effect. 

Act II 

In Act II, each is trying to work out a solution of 
the problem as he or she understands it : 

4. State the circumstances and conditions under which 

the two are living and show the bearing of these 
on the problem. 

5. State the "situation" as it exists in Ruth's mind ; 

what solution is she trying to reach ? 

6. State the problem as it exists in Ghent's mind; 

what results is he striving to bring about ? 

7. Has the author indicated any possibility of solution 

fromi themselves ; that is, without other circum- 
stances or influences than those of their own 
lives? Why, or why not? 

8. What is the dramatic reason for introducing the 

prophecy of a child in Act II ? 

9. In your analysis of the motives which led Ruth to 

go with her brother, what were the decisive 
influences ? 

17 



Act III 

10. What is the dramatic reason for placing Act III 

in the old home? How do Ruth and Stephen 
reach an understanding, at last? 

11. What means are used to reveal a different point of 

view to Ruth? 

12. On what course of conduct and acts must Stephen's 

words to Ruth rest to be effective? Have these 
been made clear in preceding parts of Act HI or 
of the play? 

On the stage, the last act of this play is weak dra- 
matically ; discuss this in relation to the preceding acts 
and show : 

13. In what it is defective: (i) in plan? (2) in con- 

ception of details? (3) in relation to the pre- 
ceding acts? 

14. In what is the act presented dramatically weak, 

(i) in characters? (2) in action? (3) in relation 
to the preceding acts? 

15. Suggest changes which might give dramatic 

strength to the act. 

16. What do you consider the main thesis of the play 

in reference to man and woman? What is its 
bearing on social order and morality? 



VIII 

FAITH HEALER 

William Vaughn Moody 

Act I 

1. What are the conditions and setting on which the 

curtain rises? 

2. Why is the Middle West chosen for the scene of 

the action? 

18 



3- Are the characters typical, or mdividual? Consider 
here : Mr. Beeler ; Mrs. Beeler ; Martha Beeler ; 
Rhoda Williams. If typical, define the social type 
or class each is intended to represent; if indi- 
vidual, the personality, so far as it appears in 
Act I. 

4. Do you find dramatic significance in the furnishings, 

etc., of the room? 

5. Enter Michaelis : What "situation" is created by 

this man's entrance into this house? 

6. Define the impression made personally by this man 

on each one of the family. 

7. What happens to Michaelis himself as a result of 

his entrance into this household? 

8. What is the result in relation to the visions and 

ideafs of his past life ? 

9. What is the effect on each one, including Michaelis; 

of the healing of Mrs. Beeler? 

10. Why is the negro, Abe, introduced at the close of 

this act? 

11. Is the healing of Mrs. Beeler, or the approach of 

the multitude, with the effect on Michaelis, the 
culmination of the purpose in Act I? 



Act II 

12. What is the first important element of the dramatic 

situation presented in Act II? 

13. What means is taken to reveal this dramatic situa- 

tion to readers or to spectators? 

14. Must this act be most effective on the stage, or in 

the reading of the play? Why? 

15. What means of removing the spell are considered 

by each ? 

16. Why are the doctor and the minister both introduced 

at this point in the play? 

19 



\y. In this act, is Rhoda in her relation to Michaelis 
typical, or a person? Show your position by 
defining the typical influence, or the personal 
relation between the two. 

i8. The Call and the Hour: What constitutes the call? 
How is the man sure of the hour, at last ? 

19. Why is the doctor's explanation thrown in here, at 

this point in the play? 

20. What is at the root of the Healer's despair? 

21. What visible evidences of failure are presented on 

the stage? Show how each different person ex- 
plains these occurrences. Which seems to you 
the real explanation? ' < 



IX 

THE FAITH HEALER (Contimied) 
Act III 

22. Act III opens with two opinions. What is Beel- 

er's explanation of the occurences of the day, 
especially of the Healer's failure? 

23. What is Martha's explanation? 

24. Why is Abe still brought in as a part of the scene? 

25. Solutions of the difficulty — the spell : 

(a) Beeler's explanation of it. 

(b) Abe's notion of getting rid of it. 

(c) Rhoda's solution, shown by act, and by the 

purpose in her mind, is what? 

26. Whv is the doctor again introduced here by means 

of Martha's report? 

27. Enter Michaelis : What is the most important dram- 

atic effect to be produced by his entrance? 

28. What is the significance of his ''magic rope," which 

is introduced several times, especially here? 

29. What is the significance of the chance word which 

calls forth a sudden exclamation from Michaelis? 

20 



30. Enter Rhoda, purpose in mind : What does Rhoda 

see in Michaelis's proposal? Why does she refuse 
it? What is Rhoda's explanation of the Healer's 
failure ? 

(Note the parallel between the belief in the 
Healer's mind and the mediaeval idea ; as, in the 
temptation of Parsival by Kundry.) 

31. Why does the author condemn Rhoda's marriage 

with Littlefield as gross and immoral? Is this 
the traditional view? Does it appeal to you as 
likely to prevail? 

32. What considerations for it are strongest? 

33. What is the answer of those who take the other 

position ? 

34. At what point in the play does Michaelis pass from 

the mediaeval to the modern point of view in 
regard to the love of woman? Give his own 
explanation of the change that has taken place in 
himself. 

35. Who first discerned the change that had taken place 

in the Healer? Why? 

36. The first effort to help another put forth by his 

spirit was what? 

37. What is the essential difiference between the first 

turning of his spirit to Rhoda and the second ? 

38. Did the author intend you to believe that the doctor, 

or the Healer, saved the child ? 

39. To what did he intend you to attribute Mrs. Beel- 

er's second restoration? 

40. Define, as nearly as you are able, the belief and the 

power in which, at length, the Healer went forth 
to the multitude. 

GENERAL TOPICS 

If you find in this play a parallel to historic phases of 
belief since the time of Christ, trace and amplify it in the 
following points : 

41. In regard to the celibacy of the priest. 

21 



42. In regard to the source and nature of the Healer's 

power. 

43. In popular belief concerning the so-called instances 

of healing. 

44. In regard to the relation of man to human need ; 

the call, and the way in which it is best obeyed. 

45. In regard to woman's relation to man. 

46. In regard to woman's place in society, 

47. This play was not a success on the stage. Does the 

play fail in dramatic quality, or in emotional con- 
tent, or in appeal to human interest and sympathy ? 

48. In what is the play diflicult to present, or dramatic- 

ally weak? 



X 

MARLOWE 
Josephine Preston Peabody 

Special references for this plav will be found on 
page 44. 

1. Dramatis personae : Greene, Lodge, Nash, Peele, 

oMarlowe — for each give a brief outline of his 
life, showing: 

(a) Age of the man, and social position or 

means of livelihood at the date of Mar- 
lowe's "Faustus." 

(b) Works alreadv produced. 

(c) Most notable work produced at any time 

in the life of each, whether written at 
this time or later. 

(d) Relation of each man in the group to the 

other. 

2. Which of these men exerted the most important 

influence on his contemporaries? On English 
dramatic literature? 



3- What historical facts in the life of Marlowe were 
of dramatic value as a basis for this play? 

In London at this Date 

4 What theaters were open? Where were they? 
Why? 

5. Who was on the throne? What was the attitude of 

the court toward plays and players? 

6. What class in the community condemned plays and 

actors? Why? Was this class powerful? 

7. How were companies of players supported and 

protected ? 

The Faust Legend 

8. Give some account of the Faust legend in its differ- 

ent forms, and of its origin, age, distribution, etc. 

9. What use had been made of it in literature up to 

this time ? 
10. What was Marlowe's purpose in choosing this 
legend for his play? How did the play affect his 
reputation ? Why ? 



XI 



MARLOWE {Continued) 

Comment: The dramatic plot, in this play, is sub- 
ordinate to the main purpose of presenting a great poet 
in contrast to his fellows, and under the conditions of his 
age. The effect is rather epic than dramatic, but the 
semblance of dramatic form is preserved by a slight plot, 
consistently subordinate to the presentation of the man 
and the understanding of his character. 

23 



Act I 

11. What impression about the play ''Faustirs" is grad- 

ually produced by the talk of Scene i ? Why is 
Marlowe made to enter with talk about his own 
play? 

12. Enter Barnby, Alison, etc. : When Marlowe sees 

Alison, what is the effect on him? Contrast and 
define the effect of Alison on Marlowe, with the 
impression she produces on the other poets pres- 
ent. What is the purpose of this contrast? 

13. What beginning of threads of plot do you find? 

14. What is the "situation" at the close of Act I ? 

15. Explain Marlowe's words, "I am the man, the devil, 

and the soul." Why placed at the close of Scene i ? 

SCENE 3 

16. Explain the effect of the song on Alison. 

17. What was Marlowe's mood and his feeling toward 

her in this scene? 

18. What is the difference in attitude of mind toward 

Alison between Andrew and Bame? 

19. Why is "Her Ladyship" introduced at the close of 

the scene with Alison? 

20. What attraction brought "Her Ladyship" to this 

place? What does she represent in Marlowe's 
life? 

Act II 

21. Explain the purpose of this scene with reference to 

each of the following: Alison, Marlowe, Andrew, 
Bame? 

22. (a) W^hat do you understand by Marlowe's words 

about Alison? Did any who heard him 
understand his meaning, or his feeling? 
(b) Define as fully as you can the influences at 
work in Marlowe's mind at this time. 

24 



XII 

MARLOWE (Continued) 

Act III 

23. What had taken place in the interval since Act II? 

24. What news is told here? What is the bearing of it 

upon the persons present? 

25. How does Bame translate his own failure into terms 

of personal enmity? 

26. Explain the "lash" against Marlowe which he 

should shun. 

2^. Why is ''Her Ladyship" again introduced ? 

28. Trace the working of Marlowe's mind which finally 

sends him forth to seek ''the Little Shrine." In 
his mind, what issue turned on the result? 

29. Does this afford comment, or throw light either on 

his personal beliefs, his plays, or his past conduct? 

Act IV 

30. Discover the basis of sympathy between Alison and 

Gabriel, as shown in Scene i ; also, the essential 
difference between them, if any exists. 

31. Discuss the question whether Alison is typically a 

beautiful English maid in time of bloom, or a 
girl who is endowed with poetic temperament 
and imagination. 

32. Why must this scene precede the entrance of Mar- 

lowe? 

33. Did Alison understand Marlowe's purpose in com- 

ing? What did she suppose? 

34. What guided Alison in the response she made to 

Marlowe ? 

35. Why did he not kiss her? Did he fulfil his hope in 

coming? How? or, why not? 

25 



36. Show and trace the shght plot which at length causes 
Marlowe's death. 

2^^. Show how the condition of Marlowe and the man- 
ner of his death in Act V grows out of forces 
working from an earlier time. 

38. Give, briefly, a characterization of Marlowe, drawn 
wholly from the impressions you find in your 
own mind at the close of this reading. Describe 
him as you think he should appear on the stage 
in the first acts, in the last. 



XIII 

THE PIPER 

Josephine Preston Peabody 

Comment : In this play, three threads are interwoven^ 
namely, the form and material of the play drawn from 
the traditions, literature and histories of mediaeval times ; 
the story, or plot, which forms the drama, also medi- 
aeval in its origin ; and the inner or double meaning 
which makes the play almost allegorical. This hidden 
meaning is spiritual and informs the narrative, even as 
soul the body. 

1. What is the ''dramatic situation" with which the 

play opens? 

2. Outline briefly the antecedent plot of which this 

situation is the conclusion. 

3. Point out what one element in this situation pre- 

vents it from being a true conclusion of the ante- 
cedent plot and is the beginning of a new action. 

4. Discuss all means used to give a mediaeval atmos- 

phere to the scene, and to indicate the mediaeval 
characteristics of the people. 

2!^ 



5. Make a plot outline of Act I, showing steps, and 

define expressly, beginning, climax, and conclu- 
sion, or "situation." 

6. Throughout Act I, point out the inner meaning, 

especially sentences and phrases of double sig- 
nificance. 

Act II 

7. A dream — why? What is the meaning of it? 

8. Through the dream float bits of plot interwoven 

from Act I ; trace these and show how the action 
moves on by means of them. 

9. Show wherein contrast and double meaning thread 

the scene. 
How, if at all, does the double meaning connect 
with the inner meaning of Act I ? 



10. 



SCENE 2 

11. What had been the Piper's real reason for leading 

away the children? 

12. Why did he feel that Barbara must not become a 

nun? 

13. Why would he not consider the price Michael named 

as the only one that could save her? 
Note. Kipling's "They" should be read in connec- 
tion with the dream thread in this act. Each will inter- 
pret the other. 

14. The plot of this scene is what? What part of it is 

made out of the earlier plot? What part out of 
beliefs and superstitions that exist only in the 
mind? 

15. What is the inner meaning — 

(a) Of the strange dancing? 

(b) Of Barbara's following the Piper instead 

of Michael? 

(c) Of the Piper's fear of the rainbow gleam? 

27 



XIV 
THE PIPER (Continued) 

Act in 

i6. Interpret, " 'Tis her very self is caged within her- 
self." 

17. Give a brief outline of the plot that determines the 

form of Act III. 

18. Interpret the transformation scene which really is 

Barbara's betrothal, especially the words of the 
Piper; also, the descriptive passages. 

19. Seen on the stage, of which will the mind be most 

conscious here, of the form and story, or of the 
inner meaning, the spiritual significance? 

20. What element closely related to the dream life of 

the children enters into the scene with Veronika ? 

21. What brought Veronika, alone of all, to the Piper? 

What kept the others back? 

22. In what lies the strength of Veronika's final appeal 

to the Piper? Wliy does he struggle so hard 
against it? 

23. The Piper defines the conception of parenthood 

prevalent in Hamelin; give, in your own words, 
in full, this conception and its bearing on (a) fam- 
ily life ; (b) the child; (c) the community. What, 
chiefly, did the Piper condemn? What would 
he substitute? 

24. Where, in Act III, is the great dramatic scene? 

Show why, and what it is that makes this, as it 
were, the culmination of all that precedes. 

Act IV 

25. Show the contrast between x\ct I and Act IV. 

26. Show the changes in the people as apparent on the 

stage. 

28 



2y. Show why the children, at last, returned. 

28. Why is all closely tied to the ''Lonely Man" ? 

29. Why must the Piper disappear at the end? 

30. Is it intended to represent that supernatural agen- 

cies are at work in the final act? 

31. Last of all, discuss what is the theme, or central 

purpose, of this play. 



XV 

THE BLUE BIRD 

Maurice Maeterlinck 

Act I 

THE TRANSITION 

1. What means of rendering the transition credible 

to the imagination are used? 

2. What is the difference between the child's mind in 

this respect and the minds of grown up persons ? 
Would this difference suggest itself most forcibly 
to the reader, or to the spectator ? 

3. For what does the diamond stand throughout the 

play? 

4. How is the sense of parallel, contrast, or relation- 

ship between the dream world and the real world 
preserved throughout Act I? 

Act II 

SCENE I. THE TRANSFORMATION 

5. Show why the dramatis personae enter after the 

curtain goes up. 

29 



6. What determines the form and appearance of each 

as the actors appear? 

7. Have these persons a real existence in any hterature, 

age, or imagination? 

8. What is the point of view in regard to these dram- 

atis personae which the dramatist must consis- 
tently maintain to carry out his plan? 

SCENE 2. THE LAND OF MEMORY 

9. Out of what is the Land of Memory made? 

10. What seems to be the law of selection and sequence 

in the Land of Memory? 

11. What special part in child life does the Land of 

Memory supply? 

12. How is entrance found? What ends the stay here? 

Why? 

13. How is it that the Blue Bird is found here, and then 

lost? 

Act III 

SCENE I. THE PALACE OF NIGHT 

14. Why should the Palace of Night follow the Land 

of Memory? 

15. What is the difference between experiences in the 

Palace of Night and those in the Land of 
Memory ? 

16. What is the relation, if any, between this world and 

the world of real things? 

17. What is the meaning of the scene of the Blue Birds 

that cannot live in the daylight? 



,30 



XVI 

THE BLUE BIRD (Continued) 
.-let III (Continued) 

SCENE 2. IN THE FOREST 

1 8. What is the relation of the forest scene to the one 

that precedes? 

19. Why are all animals except the dog and the guide 

supposed to be in league against the quest of the 
children ? 

20. What is the primary cause of all the trouble in the 

forest ? On what does the imaginary climax turn ? 

Act IV 

THE LAND OF THE DEAD 

21. On what excuse are the children sent to the Land 

of the Dead? 

22. Why may no animals and no things accompany them 

here ? 

23. What is the preliminary conversation between Tyltyl 

and Mytyl intended to represent? 

24. What is the meaning of the only comment on the 

scene that follows the turning of the diamond? 

SCENE 3. THE KINGDOM OF THE FUTURE 

25. Study the arrangement of the scene, and not the 

symbolism of parts. Why is it hard to recognize 
anything in the Kingdom of the Future? 

26. What is the essential difference between the King- 

dom of the Future and the Kingdom of the Past ? 

2y. What is the connection between this scene and the 
earlier parts of the quest ? 

28. Why are children the ones taken into the Kingdom 
of the Future? 

31 



SCENE I. THE RETURN 

29. How is the scene in the Land of the Future brought 

to an end ? How is the transition from unreal to 
real effected? 

30. On what must the dramatist depend for the accep- 
' tance of this change by reader or spectator ? 

SCENE 2. IN THE REAL WORLD. 

31. On what is the emphasis placed throughout this 

scene ? 

32. What is the secret that at last discovers the Blue 

Bird? 

33. Why at the very end, when really found, does he 

once more escape, and fly away into the blue? 

34. Do you recall any parallel disappearance, in great 

literature, of the desired sign of the ideal? 

35. Why, in this play, are children instead of adults, 

sent in search of the Blue Bird ? 

36. Distinguish, in the play, the Destroyers of Happi- 

ness, and the mistakes that lead away from 
Happiness. Show the relation of the children 
to each ; of each to the quest. 



xvn 

HEROD 

Stephen Phillips 

Comment: This poetic drama is remarkable for care- 
ful structure, dramatic action adequately motived, and 
tragic effect, prepared for from the beginning, and made 
effective with great skill. 

Act I 

I. What is the significance of the setting of this scene, 
in suggesting either character, or the action to 
come? Illustrate from the text. 

32 



2. What is the first impression of Herod, the King? 

3. Point out the relative importance of the characters 

appearing in this scene ; how is this shown ? 
Define the personal relation between each and 
Herod. 

4. What is the first indication, or clue, of the dramatic 

action of the drama? 

5. What parties and persons at court desired the death 

of Aristobulus? To what motive was appeal 
made to bring it about? 

6. Trace the plot, in outline, from this beginning to the 

end of Act I, and give all the elements of the 
''dramatic situation'' as you find it at the close of 
this act. 

7. Does it seem to you that the act, or incident, that 

determines the course of the action has taken 
place at the close of Act I ? 

8. What sub-plot do you find in Act I ? Is its relation 

to the main plot essential? Show how, or how 
not? Is this sub-plot sufficiently motived in the 
past lives of the actors ? Show how, or how not. 



Act II 

9. The return of Herod: Show what Herod's own 
expectation of his return was. Show, also, what 
awaited him and why this did not correspond 
with his own anticipation. 

10. What was Herod's bargain? 

11. Does the account here correspond with the historical 

situation ? 

12. Did the political situation justify this bargain, or 

did Herod betray his own people from personal 
ambition ? 

13. The meeting between Herod and Mariamne: 

Describe the mental point of view and state of 
each. 

33 



14- Describe the understanding, by each, of the other's 
mind and attitude. Which was in the stronger 
position ? Why ? 

15. Define the outside influences brought to bear and 

show how each worked on Herod's nature. Had 
he anticipated the compHcations in court and 
populace that met him on his return? 

16. Whv did the first plot against the life of the queen 

fail? 

17. The defense of the King: Give each step of the 

assault on his position and the influences that 
led to it ; then, each step of the reversal of feel- 
ing wrought by Herod and explain how it was 
done? 

18. What was the appeal made by Herod to Mariamne? 

Why did it fail? 

19. How was the final word drawn from Herod? Was 

it the lie direct that succeeded or did the schemers 
work upon some passion of his nature? 

20. What are the most significant words, or line, in this 

act? 

21. Why is the envy of Caesar introduced at this precise 

moment ? 



xvni 

HEROD {Continued) 
Act III 

22. Define in all its elements, the situation with which 

Act ni opens. 

23. Had the plotters succeeded in what they were aim- 

ing at in the death of Mariamne? Show in detail 
from the act itself. Explain in full the fear that 
had come upon them. 

24. What had been the story of Herod in the interval 

between the two acts? 

34 



25- How is Herod's insanity shown on the stage? How 
is the cause of it made manifest? 

2.6, Compare the insanity of Lady Macbeth in the sleep 
walking scene, with the insanity of Herod in 
(a) The motive which led to the crime 
(&) In the after effect of the crime on the mind 

and the emotional nature of each. 
(c) Could either be said to repent of the act? 

H so, which? Show evidence in the 

play. 



GENERAL TOPICS 

27. What is the tragic motive of this poetic drama? 

28. In what, really, does the action begin ? 

29. Wherein is the climax ? 

30. What is the conclusion of the action ? Has it unity ? 

If so, show what gives it unity. 

31. In what lies the great dramatic power of this play? 

32. Discuss the question whether Herod as presented in 

this play may be accepted as the hero of tragic 
drama, in the classical sense; that is, according 
to Aristotle's definition. 

33. Discuss carefully in what degree this poetic drama, 

either in the text, or on the stage, presents char- 
acters historically in the setting of the fierce 
barbaric age in which they lived. Discuss in 
detail the degree in which the persons themselves 
embody or represent the characteristics of the 
age and the means used to impress these upon 
the audience or the reader. 

34. Compare Salome, in this play, with the Salome of 

Oscar Wilde and show which author has most 
effectively presented her in the setting of the age 
and time. 



35 



XIX 

THE FIRE BRINGER 

William Vaugn Moody 

Comment: This poetic drama is symbolic and poetic 
rather than dramatic. In the brief time allowed for study 
of this play, it seems best to center attention on these 
qualities. 

1. Preliminary reading. 

(a) The Introduction, by J. M. Manley, to 

''Poems and Poetic Dramas" of William 
Vaughn Moody. 

(b) The reading of the entire drama, then the 

re-reading of Act I. 

2. Let some one give briefly, the mythical story of 

Prometheus, which serves as the foundation of 
this poem. (See Gayley's ''Classic Myths" for 
the best brief statement.) 

3. Summarize very briefly the plan of the dramatic 

action of "The Fire Bringer." 

4. Give in brief the purpose of Act I in this plan and 

point out its chief moment. 

5. Give in brief the purpose of Act II and show the 

importance of the chief moment in this act, its 
relation to the plan of the play and to Act L 

6. What is the chief moment in Act III? What part 

in the dramatic action has this act? Wliat is its 
relation to Act I ? To Act II? 

7. In Act I, what is the symbolic significance of — 

(a) Dukalion and his family? 

(b) The Stone men and women? 

(c) Prometheus? 

(d) Pandora? 

(e) The absence of light, sun, stars, etc? 

8. To what was the despair of the aged king due? 

36 



g. In the songs of Act I — 

(a) Interpret in a series the three songs of 

Pandora. 

(b) Interpret the songs of the Stone men, of 

the Earth women; do you find them 
prophetic? If so, what are their mean- 
ings ? 



XX 

THE FIRE BRINGER {Continued) 
Act II 

10. Act II is not so clearly presented as Act I. Inquire 

what two influences, in the action, come into 
conflict. Explain these. How do they arise? 

1 1 . How is the sacrifice halted ? Why ? 

12. Explain the slow approach of Pandora and the sig- 

nificance of each part. 

13. Why does Pandora appear before Prometheus here, 

as elsewhere? 

14. What is the significance of the reappearance of the 

stars ? 

15. Interpret Pandora's song, p. 234. 

16. What is the meaning of Pandora's song, p. 242? 

Of the four lines, top of p. 243 ? 

17. Prometheus' s words, p. 245 — 

(a) What is the symlDolic meaning of the pre- 
sentation of the fire in the reed? 

{h) W^hat is the relation of this gift to the scene 
with which the play opens ? 

(c) How is the symbolic meaning of these lines 
to be connected with the hidden or sym- 
bolic meaning in Act I? 

{d) Why is the fire given into the hands of 
Aeolus and Alcyone? 

Z7 



Act III 

Comment : In "Prometheus Bound" of Aeschylus,. 
the great tragic drama deals chiefly with the wrath of 
Zeus, and the penalty exacted of Prometheus for aiding 
mankind. In this play, Prometheus is an aid to man, an 
incident, a means of salvation, in the larger drama of 
mankind fleeing as a race before the wrath of the gods. 
There is, therefore, little opportunity for profitable 
comparison. 

i8. With what fear does Act III open? 

19. What does Pandora foresee in the early part of 

Act III ? 

20. How are men reassured? Point out, in Prome- 

theus's words, all the beneficent results to flow 
from his gift of fire. Interpret the prophetic and 
secret meaning by paraphrasing in plain speech 
Prometheus's words, p. 260, beginning "an the 
folk, though ignorant," to end of speech. 

21. What is the reference in Pandora's words, p. 265? 

22. What is the prophetic meaning of the lines sung by 

the Stone men, p 266? 

2^. In the Introduction, Professor Manley attaches 
especial significance, symbolically, to the song of 
Pandora, pp. 267, 268. Explain if you can. 

24. Close this discussion by reading aloud this song, 
and after. Eve's song from "The Death of Eve.'^ 
See p. 138. 



38 



REFERENCE LISTS 



SUGGESTED FOR TRIVATE OWNERSHIP BY EACH 
MEMBER OF CLUB 



The Study Outline. 
Copies of the plays to be studied. 

Suggestive questions for study of dramatic technique. 
Pamphlet. Drama League of America. 

The Drama, its Laws and Technique, by Elizabeth Wood- 
bridge. 



EDITIONS OF PLAYS FOR STUDY 

Chitra, by Rabindranath Tagore. 1914. Macmillan. 
$1.00. ' 

Herod, by Stephen Pliillips. 1900. Lane. $1.25. 
Justice, by John Galsworthy. 1910. Scribner. 60c. 
Marlowe, by Josephine Preston Peabody. Rev. ed. 1905. 
Houghton. $1.10. 

Milestones, by Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblauch. 
1912. Doran. $1.00. 

The Blue Bird, bv Maurice Maeterlinck. 1910. Dodd. 
$1.25. 

The Faith Healer, by William Vaughn Moody. 19 10. 
Macmillan. $1.25. 

The Fire Bringer, by William Vaughn Moody. 1904. 
Houghton. ^i.iG. 

The Great Divide, by William Vaughn Moody. 1909. 
Macmillan. $1.25. 

The Piper, by Josephine Preston Peabody. 1909. Hough- 
ton. $r.io. 

The Princess, edited by Albert S. Cook, Ph.D., Ginn. 
30C. 

39 



BOOKS WHICH MAY BE FOUND IN THE LOCAL LIBRARY OR 
OBTAINED EROM THE STATE LIBRARY COMMISSION 

(This brief list of the reference material may easily be 
amplified from the resources of any local library.) 

Hale, E. E. Dramatists of To-day. 1911. Holt. $1.50. 
For Maeterlinck, pp. 174-217. 

For Phillips, for The Poetic Drama, see pp. 148-173. 
Notice especially. Standards of criticisms, pp.i-12. 

Hamilton, C. M. Theory of the Theater. 19 10. Holt 
$1.50. 
A popular book illustrated from modern plays, but 
of little value for critical study. 

Ibsen, Henrik. Doll's House. Inexpensive editions — 
W. Archer's translation. 1900. Baker, pa 25c ; 
also, with other plays. (Everyman's Library.) 1910. 
Dutton. 35 c. 

Kipling, Rudyard. They. 1906. In Traffics and Dis- 
coveries, p. 279. Doubleday. $1.50. 

Matthews, Brander. Study of the Drama. (Student's 
edition. ) 19 10. Houghton. $1.25. Chapter 12, 
The Poetic Drama and the Dramatic Poem. 

Meredith, George. An Essay on Comedy and the Use of 
the Comic Spirit. Scribner. $1.25. 

Montague, C. E. Dramatic Values. 191 1. Macmillan. 

$1.25. 

Rose, Henry. Maeterlinck's Symbolism: The Blue Bird 
and other essays. 1911. Dodd. $1.00. 

Morley, Henrv. History of English Literature, vol. ix, 
pp. 245-259. 

(This set is found in many libraries, and gives a 
full account of the Faust Legend, Marlowe, and other 
matters important here. Clubs not having access to 
a public library may find some information in Green's 
Shorter History of England, Saintsbury's English 
History, etc.) 

Saintsbury, G. E. B. Short History of English Litera- 
ture. 1898. Macmillan. $1.50. 
For Marlowe's life and contemporaries. 

40 



Van Dyke, Henry. Poetry of Tennyson. Scribner. $1.25. 

Woodbridge, Elizabeth. The Drama : Its Law and Tech- 
nique. Allyn. 80c. 

Pamphlets on the technique of the drama : Davidson, 
H. A. Studies of the. Historical Plays of Shakespeare, 
4v., Study-Guide Series, Cambridge, Mass. (Either 
one of the four studies contains in a brief summary, 
the principles of dramatic structure, the requirements 
for each act in the so-called classical drama, the rela- 
tion of each act to the whole plot, etc., also careful 
definitions of "situation," "climax," "conclusion," 
etc.) Spaulding, A. H. Suggestive questions for 
study of dramatic technique. Drama League of Amer- 
ica, 736 Marquette Building, Chicago. loc. 

Reference material on the following topics must be sup- 
plied by each library according to its resources. 
Such material can also be secured at reasonable 
rates from the Wilson Package Library, operated 
by the H. W. Wilson Company. 

Changes in position of women since 1850. 
The Faust legend. 



4' 



REFERENCE LISTS FOR SPECL4L PLAYS 
OR TOPICS 



CHITRA AND THE POET TAGORE 

Portraits of Tagore, in 
Bookman. Jan. 19 14. 
Survey. Feb. 14, 19 14. 
Collier's. Dec. 20, 1913. 
Articles : 

Nobel Prize Winner. Bookman. Jan. 1914. 

Hindu of the Celtic Spirit. Review of Reviews. 

Jan. 1914. 
India's Shakespeare and Tasso in One. Forum. 

Jan. 1914. 
Poetr}^ of Tagore, by E. J. Brailsford. Living Age. 

May 16, 1914. 
Tagore and His Model School at Bolpur, by B. K. 

Ray. Independent. Aug. 3, 1914. 
Tagore, as a playwright, issues a message to women. 

Current Opinion. May, 19 14. 
Sadhana, a book of essays, by Tagore. 

WILLIAM VAUGHN MOODY 

For Moody's plays, "The Fire Bringer," "The Great 
Divide," "The Faith Healer," see the Introduction by 
J. M. Manley to Poems and Poetic Dramas of William 
Vaughn Moody. 

THE BLUE BIRD AND AIAURICE MAETERLINCK 

Maurice Maeterlinck, by E. Gorse. Encyclopedia Britan- 
nica, ed. 11, v. 17, pp. 298-299. 

How America welcomed the Blue Bird. Current Liter- 
ature. Nov. 19 10. 

Maurice Maeterlinck, a dramatic impressionist, by 
Richard Burton. Atlantic Monthly. Nov. 1894. 

42 



Impressions of Maurice Maeterlinck, by R. Hovey. 

Poet Lore. May, 1895. 
Maurice Maeterlinck's methods of life and work. 

Living Age. Dec. 24, 1910. 
The Blue Bird. Independent. Apr. 8, 1909. 
The Blue Bird. Nation. Apr. 8, 1909. 
The Blue Bird. Outlook. Oct. 15, 1910. 
The Blue Bird. Scribner's. Dec. 1910. 
The Blue Bird, by W. Winter. Harper's Weekly. Oct. 

29, 1910. 
The Blue Bird. Current Literature. Sept. 1909. 

JOHN GALSWORTHY 

John Galsworthy as a dramatist. Theatre. May, 1909. 
John Galsworthy's plays, a review. Athenaeum. July 

17, 1909. 
John Galsworthy's plays, a review. The Nation. Aug. 

19, 1909. 
Justice, a review. Independent. Oct. 27, 19 10. 
Justice, a review. Blackwood's Magazine. Apr. 19 10. 

THE PIPER 

Prize at Stratford, 19 10. Literary Digest. Apr. 9, 1910. 
Supernatural plays, by C. Hamilton. Bookman. Mar. 

1911. 
The Playwright of the Shakespeare memorial play. 

Theatre. Aug. 1910. 
Neglected Step-child of the modern stage. Current 

Literature. Oct. 19 10. 
New Theatre, The Piper. Theatre. Mar. 191 1. 
The Piper. Outlook. Feb. 11, 191 1. 
The Piper. Nation. Dec. 16, 1909. 
The Piper at the St. James. Academy. Jan. 14, 191 1. 
Stage Fantasy and Realism. Independent. Feb. 23, 191 1. 
Josephine Preston Peabody, America's dramatic poet. 

New England Magazine. May, 1910. 
Drift toward Fairvland, Miss Peabody's Piper, by W. 

Winter. Harper's Weekly. Feb. 18, 191 1. 



43 



MARLOWE 

Greene. Shorter History of England. Sec. vii, p. 429-30. 
Morley's History of English literature, vol. IX. 

For Marlowe, pp. 245-248. 

For Greene, pp. 215, 268. 

For Lodge, pp. 233, 237. 

For Nash, p. 267. 

For Peele, p. 209. 

For Faust, pp. 252-259. 
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 

THEATERS IN THE AGE OF MARLOWE 

Ordish, T. F. Early London Theaters. Macmillan. $2. 

Stephenson, H. T. Shakespeare's London. Holt. $2. 

Wheatley, H. B. The Story of London. Mediaeval 
Towns. Macmillan. $1.75. One of the best books 
on London at the time of the historical events repre- 
sented in the study of "Marlowe." 

Hamilton, H. W. William Shakespeare, Poet, Dramatist 
and Man. Macmillan. $2. 

HEROD AND STEPHEN PHILLIPS 

Portraits of Phillips, in 

Century. Jan. 190 1. 

Critic. July, 1902. 

Independent. Nov. 1902. 
Sketch by Edmund Gosse. Century, 1901. 
Stephen Phillips as a Writer of Tragedy, by F. B. R. 

Hellems. Atlantic. Dec. 1908. 
Review of the book. Nation. Apr. 25, 1901. 
Review of the play. 

Nation. Nov. 29, 1900. 

Contemporary. Jan. 1901. 

Collier's. Dec. 4, 1909. 

Harper's Weekly. Jan. 5, 1901. 



44 



List of Study Outlines 

American Literature. Outline No. i. Prepared by Mrs. 
Jane Noble Garrott. Early literature to Lowell, with a pro- 
gram on the historians. lOp 15c. Outline No. 2. Prepared by 
Cornelia Marvin. Orators and statesmen, Whitman, Howells, 
a group of poets, analytical novel, short story, old and new 
South, middle and far West, essayists, humor, drama. lop 
25c. 

Contemporary Drama. Prepared by Prof. Arthur Beatty 
for the Wisconsin Library Commission. Ibsen, Maeter- 
linck, Hauptmann, Sudermann, Echegaray, Rostand, Tche- 
koff, Brieux, Robertson, Jones, Pinero, Phillips, Shaw, Gals- 
worthy, Yeats, Gregory, Syngc, Fitch. List of plays, most 
important ones starred. Interpretative notes and suggestive 
ideas for discussion and study. I2p 25c. 

Contemporary English Literature. Prepared by Prof. 
Arthur Beatty for the Wisconsin Library Commission. 
Swinburne, Meredith, Hardy, Kipling, Bridges, Gissing, 
Conrad, De Morgan, Wells, Bennett, Galsworthy, Yeats, 
A. C. Benson, Chesterton, Noyes, W. W. Gibson, Masefield. 
List of most important works. Critical references. Certain 
books studied with interpretative notes. 2ip 25c. 

Dietetics. Programs for 10 club meetings. The study is 
based on four selected books and the Farmers' Bulletins. lop. 
Under one cover with "Home Economics." 

England and Scotland: History and Travel. Prepared by 
C. E. Fanning. Intended for travel study club which has a 
historical foundation for its work. Bibliography. List of 
additional topics. lOp 25c. 

Home Economics. Prepared by the Home Economics Di- 
vision, Agricultural Extension Department, Purdue Univer- 
sity. Programs for 10 club meetings. The study is based 
on three selected books and the Farmers' Bulletins, up. Un- 
der one cover with "Dietetics." 25c. 

Italian Art: A General Survey. Prepared for the Minne- 
sota Library Commission. Chronological order of subjects 
6p ISC. 

Mexico. Prepared by Study Club Department, Wisconsin 
Library Commission. 2p. To be used in the same year with 
South America Past and Present or Panama. Under one 
cover with Panama. 15c. 

Municipal Civics. Prepared by Anna L. Guthrie. A topical 
outline with references by page to books and periodicals. 
Bibliography. 32p 25c. 

Panama. Prepared by L. E. Stearns for the Wisconsin 
Library Commission. 4p. Under cover with Mexico. 

Present Day Industries in the United States. Prepared by 
the Study Club Department, Wisconsin Library Commission. 
Topical outline without references. 6p iSc. 

Slav Peoples. Prepared by Gregory Yarros. The history, 
present distribution and culture of the Slavs. A topical out- 
line with references under each topic. Bibliography. 24p. 25c. 





•¥il 



South America. Prepared by Corinne Bacon. Topical 
outline with chapter and page references as a help in the 
preparation of papers. Full bibliography. 32p 25c. 

United States since the Civil War. Prepared by C. E. 
Fanning. Intended for clubs studying advanced American his- 
tory and modern problems. Bibliography. lOp 25c. 

OUTLINES BASED ON THE QUESTION METHOD. 

Note: There has been difference of opinion anions those interested in 
the Study Outline Series as to the relative advantage of two methods of 
presenting the outline: the topical method which assumes that the topics 
given in the program will be assigned to different members, or the ques- 
'tion method which assumes that all members of the club will work in 
unison and all be prepared to discuss the questions given for the meeting. 
The topical method calls for a more or less lengthy bibliography, while 
the question method uses a small number of books which each member 
should own. These required books may be supplemented by a collateral 
reading list. In the list given above, South America, Municipal Civics, and 
The Slav Peoples illustrate the topical method; those listed below illustrate 
the question method. 

Active Citizenship. By Charles Davidson, Ph.D. A study 
of citizenship in general and of the intelligent management of 
local problems. Topics for discussion in meetings and short 
lists of books and documents which may be consulted. 4op. 
25c. 

South America Past and Present. Based on the study of 
Bryce. South America. One subject for each meeting with 
questions for discussion. Short list of required references. 
I5P 25c. 

Studies in Modem Plays. By H. A. Davidson, M.A. 
Contents: Justice, Milestones, Chitra, The Great Divide, The 
Faith Healer, Marlowe, The Piper, The Blue Bird, Herod. 
The Fire Bringer, Analytical study of each play, presented 
by question. Full directions for study and reference list. 
44P. 35c. (10 copies for $2.50) 



QUANTITY PRICE 
10 copies (duplicate titles) listed @ 2Sc.. 
10 copies (duplicate titles) listed @ 15c.. 
100 copies at half price 



$1.50 
1. 00 



Wilson Package Library 

The Wilson Package Library is prepared to furnish maga- 
zine articles at a minimum rental charge of 50 cents for the 
first one to seven articles on each topic ; additional articles 5 
cents each. 

Collections of pictures illustrating these subjects may be 
rented or purchased from the White Plains office in sets of 
40 or more. Season rental, $1.50. Purchase $2.50. Smaller 
collections prepared for any topic on request. 



